Big Chip 2012 Opens for Entries

Following a triple win at the 2011 Big Chip Awards, Ampersand Commerce - the leading UK Magento ecommerce agency - was approached by Manchester Digital to re-design the Big Chip website for the 2012 awards. The new designs were implemented by Bit Fusion, the Manchester based software development house that manages the back-end CMS for the Big Chip Awards website (http://www.bigchipawards.com).

The Big Chip Awards are the most significant digital awards ceremony in the North West, providing an authoritative snapshot of the highly competitive region's best digital agencies and freelancers.

In the co-operative tradition of the creative and digital community in the North West, Manchester Digital approached Ampersand Commerce to re-design the Big Chip Website for the 2012 Awards because of Ampersand Commerce's triple win at the 2011 Big Chip Awards for development of online furniture retailer, Made.com. With a deadline that overlapped the Christmas retail rush and 10 years of content on the Big Chip website to keep visually consistent, Ampersand had a challenge on its hands. The final solution includes abundant white space, bold colours and multiple typographic treatments for the several levels of headers needed to support the website's content. After design approval, Bit Fusion turned around the designs in a little over a week and the new website was live well before the Christmas deadline.

I love the Ampersand re-design. It's given the site a fresh new look - stylish and uncluttered - and it works beautifully with the existing content. 

Shaun Fensom of Manchester Digital about the quality of work from Ampersand Commerce and Bit Fusion

Ampersand is very excited to have been asked to partner with Manchester Digital on this re-design. Winning three Big Chip Awards last year was the beginning of a very busy year for our agency and finishing off 2011 with a cooperative project like this one seemed a fitting close to the year. It was a great pleasure working with Manchester Digital and Bit Fusion and Ampersand looks forward to what the 2012 Big Chip Awards will bring. 

Rachel Tonner, in-house graphic designer at Ampersand Commerce

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Further Information

About Manchester Digital

http://www.manchesterdigital.com and follow @BigChip2012 and @McrDig

The North West has a vibrant and fast-growing digital sector. It's the biggest in the UK after London and one of the biggest in Europe. It unites creative, marketing and media with technical, software and ICT. 

Manchester Digital was founded as a trade association in 2001 to support and foster the growth of companies in the digital sector across the North West.  Ten years on it has over 250 active members ranging from Code Computerlove, Orchard and MMU Business School to freelancers and students - representing a strong network of people and businesses who work as a supplier or user of digital services and technology.

Manchester Digital is an organisation run by its members, for its members on a not-for-profit basis. Its represent the coming together of individuals and organisations to support and promote the region's growing digital business sector as a centre of excellence, innovation and influence.

Manchester Digital helps facilitate new business, collaboration and knowledge share through a busy events programme which brings members together where they can learn and do business. From the flagship Big Chip Awards which celebrates the best from the region, through to regular high quality seminars, social events and small self-help groups and networks offering practical help and advice - the association acts as an information and knowledge resource for members to help enable them to better run, develop and grow their business.

About Ampersand Commerce

http://ampersandcommerce.com and follow @AmpersandHQ

Ampersand Commerce is a multi-award winning Magento ecommerce agency specialising in technical Magento development, support, hosting, integration, consultancy and training for Enterprise businesses all over the world. Ampersand's team of seasoned technologists live and breathe Magento and through years of delivering some of the most challenging projects on the Magento platform, Ampersand has gained a reputation in the United Kingdom for being one of the most technically able agencies in the Magento ecosystem.

About Bit Fusion

Follow @Bit_Fusion

Bit Fusion specialises in ASP.NET web development, offering bespoke software production to both business and the public sector across the UK. Focusing on content management, web application and CRM system development, Bit Fusion prides itself in offering an end-to-end service that places special emphasis on post-project personal support. The company has recently become an Umbraco partner, the first based in the Northwest, which is a popular and fast-growing CMS capable of scaling from running a small campaign website right through to complex applications for Fortune 500s and some of the largest media sites in the world.